h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One thing perhaps least known about Ottawa is in fact the sheer volume of restaurants - most of which actually provide quality sustenance. The Horn of Africa is fantastic if you're partial to the whole bean/spice/cured meats/corn/injera bread/eat with your fingers/pick it up off a plate 2 ft. in diameter type thing. It may just be the best kept secret in Silicon Valley North. The other is a small hole in the wall called SUSHI. Nothing more, nothing less. If you're able to get past the fact that they look like a one dimensional, fast food poison fish market give it a try. This is not McKnuckles - Samurai reflex sushi, fortunately for those of us that cling to the belief that sushi should be a healthy experience. The cool little Oriental guy lures you in with great cannabis tasting vegetable sushi and finishes you off with some great California rolls. Both places are on Rideau St. and now that I think of it have signs the same colour as a bulldozer. I highly recommend both...........in the same day if you're the adventurous type.

The other thing perhaps least known about Ottawa is the slush re-introduction programme. As one might come to expect in Canada and other places where snow removal is neccessary, the plows come out after a snow fall to clear the roads. (For safe driving and the like). The sidewalk plows do their job creating lovely piles between said road and sidewalk. Once the temperature rises to about 4 degrees (a time of great density....) the plows come out and push all those lovely piles back out onto the street and then drive back and forth over the bigger chunks of leftover ice. The reasoning is that it will melt faster, etc. This proves to be handy as the quickly melting snow and slush reveal the hard to find evidence left on the road from the 4 car pile-up caused by lack of traction.

Hey, something else: Check out the world's largest ball bearing in front of the National Research Council building on Montreal Rd. I'm not convinced that this thing actually has brothers and sisters performing the ball bearing function out in the workforce. The bloody thing is about 18 ft. tall. I suspect this is just another secret Canadian trick to get into the World's Largest Club and learn the insider's handshake.